The History of the Fabian Society

＂Britain as a whole never was more tranquil and happy,＂ said the ＂Spectator,＂ then the organ of sedate Liberalism and enlightened Progress, in the summer of 1882. ＂No class is at war with society or the government: there is no disaffection anywhere, the Treasury is fairly full, the accumulations of capital are vast＂; and then the writer goes on to compare Great Britain with Ireland, at that time under the iron heel of coercion, with Parnell and hundreds of his followers in jail, whilst outrages and murders, like those of Maamtrasma, were almost everyday occurrences.Some of the problems of the early eighties are with us yet. Ireland is still a bone of contention between political parties: the Channel tunnel is no nearer completion: and then as now, when other topics are exhausted, the ＂Spectator＂ can fill up its columns with Thought Transference and Psychical Research.